


(They Say) Never Trust a Fox

by Gremlin_Bastard



Category: Naruto
Genre: But He's Still The Same Sunshine Demon Child, Canon is my sandbox, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Naruto, Gen, Naruto has Trust Issues, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sakura's Parents Suck, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke Has Issues, at least smarter than canon, bamf characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28202721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gremlin_Bastard/pseuds/Gremlin_Bastard
Summary: A Naruto befriends Kurama and learns about his clan early AU and all the shenaniganry (and angst) that goes along with that.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 45





	(They Say) Never Trust a Fox

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I hope you like my fic! This is basically going to be me writing a self indulgent fanfic and having WAY to much fun with worldbuilding especially Uzushiro and the clans that used to live there (it's free real-estate) because Naruto deserves chakra chains and to know about his heritage.
> 
> (Although this chapter is me just getting a feel for the characters cuz it's my second fanfic ever)
> 
> Please comment your thoughts and thanks for reading!

Sometimes Naruto wondered what it would have been like to have parents. To come home from the Ninja Academy to a home filled with the scent of spices and food cooking on a stove, to the soft murmur of parents talking at a kitchen table, to parents who would love him and ask about his day and fuss over the scratches and small cuts he had gotten during training, even if they had faded by the time he had gotten there. Instead the small boy opened the door to his empty apartment, the smell of dust and the chill of an empty house, his neighbors down the hall were in another shouting match, and the buzz of the lights overhead. He fought the urge to go knock on their door just to get them to shut up.

“I’m home.” he called out, pausing for a second for an answer that he knew wouldn’t come before making sure to lock the door behind himself. He carefully placed his possessions in their places and walked towards the plants on his window sill, picking up the watering can below the sill he tended to his plants, retelling his day to them as he went.

Once he had finished he wandered over to his refrigerator and stood there without opening the door, trying to decide whether or not to use what little energy he had left to make himself dinner. In the end he just grabbed a package of ramen and ate the noodles raw before flopping down on his bed breathing in the smell of the soil of the freshly watered plants and tried to sleep. He felt his consciousness fading like he was being pulled down under the water of a lake.

\--..--..--

The blonde opened his eyes as he felt the familiar sensation of water lapping against his ankles and the same stench as a stagnant pond. He was back in the strange, dimly lit maze of sewers and tunnels he sometimes found himself lost in when he was exhausted. He wondered idly if the maze was actually the real world and his life in Konoha was some type of dream as he wandered about, before dismissing that thought hastily.

As he turned a corner he looked up and came to a halt. The tiny boy gazed up at the gigantic door in front of him, it was made of some type of metal and was covered in intricate carvings and spirals. Naruto inched forward and reached out his hand to place it on the door, tracing his fingers along the grooves of the door. At the touch of his hand the door creaked open. He creeped into the room beyond the door. There was a large circular room with carved walls and split in half by a set of iron bars and that side of the room faded into blackness a few feet after the bars. The room around him was so tall he couldn’t see the ceiling.

As he was staring up at the walls something moving behind the bars caught his attention and his gaze snapped back to the other side of the room. Something huge was stirring behind the bars.

“Wh-who’s there?” Naruto called out, trying to sound commanding but the quiver in his voice betrayed his unease. A glowing red eye opened up, glaring through the shaking boy. There was a snarl that reverberated through the high ceiling of the chamber and made ripples in the murky water filling the whole of the complex.

“Who do you think I am brat?” The voice spat out the words with barely controlled rage.

“I don’t know…” Naruto answered, smiling slightly “I wouldn’t need to ask if I already knew, would I?” he added teasingly, trying to ease the tension. There was another snarl of annoyance and something slammed against the bars. Naruto startled and fell back. He braced to hit the ground.

\--..--..--

Naruto shot awake, his alarm clock blaring next to him. He didn’t feel like he had managed to sleep through all of the previous afternoon and woke up with barely enough time to get ready for school, he was struggling to stay awake and felt like he had run back and forth from the Hokage Monument to his house a hundred times over. He quickly rushed through his morning routine and quickly whipped up a simple lunch before running off to get to class on time so Iruka-sensei wouldn’t yell at him again.

The tiny blond tried his hardest to pay attention in class, but he couldn’t stop wondering about the strange creature he had found in the maze. What was it and why was it there? He was so lost in thought he didn’t even hear what Iruka-sensei asked him and in a panic just answered with the first thing that popped into his head to get the unwelcome attention off of himself. The room was silent for a second before children around him broke out into laughter and Naruto sat down quickly and zoned back out as soon as he did.

\--..--..--

Sakura was always the first person in the classroom. She loved going to the academy. She loved reading and writing. She absolutely adored every lesson. Her mother had once told her intelligence was one of the greatest gifts a girl could have, second only to beauty and the proper attitude.

Well, Sakura wasn’t beautiful, her mother had made sure she was aware of that, but she was smart, and she had spent years learning how to be a proper lady, her mother and father were rich, influential merchants and they wouldn’t have it any other way. It had been her father’s idea to have her join the Ninja Academy, she was the same age as most of the heirs and her parents had seen it as an opportune chance for her to rub elbows with, and befriend the leaders of some of the most influential clans while they were still children (Sakura wasn’t doing a very good job with that, the only thing she had managed to make were enemies).

“Hey, Miss Forehead, move over I want to sit there!” A girl’s voice said in a false sing song tone. Sakura glared up at Ino but moved over to give her rival space anyway. “Why of course, have your little minions finally figured out how useless you are to them and abandoned you?” Sakura mocked back, just for the principle of it. The tall blonde girl sat down next to Sakura ignoring the remark. The pink haired girl wished Ino would at least insult her back again.

Halfway through class Iruka-sensei called on one of her classmates, a blonde boy named Naruto who never paid attention in class. The boy's response was so far off that Sakura had thought they would have to sit through a lecture about the topic before they could get back on track.

“How’s that idiot in the same class as us?” some kid behind her muttered to their friend. Sakura couldn’t help but agree, he had to be a good year younger than anyone else in the class and just couldn’t seem to keep up with his classmates.

\--..--..--

Naruto had hoped to sneak out and head home before Iruka-sensei noticed, but now he was stuck sitting in front of the teacher’s desk.

“You need to pay more attention in class Naruto…” the older teenager said. Looking down at him. Naruto really didn’t like Iruka-sensei, he was one of the few adults who didn’t actively express hatred towards him but unlike many of the others he wasn’t out of indifference, Naruto was almost sure the scared teen hated him and was just a liar.

“Why does it matter?” Naruto asked, crossing his arms and scowling up at his teacher.

“Don’t you want to be a good ninja?” Iruka asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah… But other than my reading and writing tests I do fine at taijutsu and most ninjutsu! My grades aren’t the best but I’m not failing!” Naruto answered, frustrated.

“Well, yes… that’s true… but imagine how well you could do if you paid more attention to your classes!” Iruka said, a clearly false smile was plastered on his face.

“And why do you give a fuck!” Naruto scoffed. The way Iruka-sensei’s eyes widened a little made Naruto have to fight down a smile. Adults always got so bent out of shape when he sweared or faked being about to throw a tantrum.

“I-i just want all my students to do well!” Iruka-sensei answered a little nervously.

“Okay? Can I go now?” Naruto asked. The teen nodded and so Naruto slipped off the chair and went home quickly.

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for an earlier issue where I accidentally set this fic as a one shot and forgot to mark it as multiple chapters, I was half asleep and it should be fixed now!
> 
> The eating uncooked ramen noodles cuz your tired and cooking them takes to long is something I took from real life (twelve year old me was weird)


End file.
